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Metaphor/Symbolism ~ He Said/She Said ~ Archetype
~ The Basics ~
First, we need to tell you that in our opinion, Tori's lyrics are absolutely loaded with symbolism. If you've ever studied poetry, you'll understand that sometimes an apple isn't just an apple. Sometimes it's an entire universe. Of course, there are times when an apple is just an apple . . .but we think those instances are rare in Tori's lyrics.
The way we've set this site up, there are a few things you need to be aware of as you go along. First, the "definitions" on each info page may or may not be completely appropriate for each and every song linked. Or, alternatively, only part of the definition may apply. Your task is to determine what works best for you as you interpret the lyrics. To do this, you'll need to ask yourself some questions as you proceed. For example, "apple" can mean love, knowledge, wisdom, joy, death, and/or luxury. You will need to take the word in context of each individual song to get a feel for what it may mean to you. So, ask yourself:
Does the word seem to be used in a negative or positive context?
Is the word used in a literal sense - or more a figurative or symbolic sense?
Is the word "linked" to other words around it, for example "apple
seed"?
Okay, so you think you already have it figured out and nothing we provide will change that. You're right. But if, on the other hand, you're willing to stretch your mind a bit and allow for alternative possibilities, you'll open a whole new level of understanding. Kind of like peeling an onion or going on an archeological dig, you have to get beneath the surface layers to find the meat of the matter.
There are basically two ways you can access this site:
First (and our preference to get started) is to pick a song you've been wondering about from the Main Page. Go directly to that song and find the "hot links" embedded there for insight. You can actually play your way through all of the songs that way. . .
~ OR ~
If there's a particular word or phrase that's been on your mind, and you'd like to go directly there, access the Site Index for an alphabetical and topical listing of words and phrases.
~ Metaphor/Symbolism ~
Symbol: the best possible expression for something unknown. Symbolic thinking is non-linear, right-brain oriented; it is complimentary to logical, linear, left-brain thinking.
Every psychological expression is a symbol if we assume that it states or signifies something more and other than itself which eludes our present knowledge. [C.G. Jung - "Definitions," CW 6, par. 817.]
~ He Said/She Said ~
We've noticed, as I'm sure you have, that Tori often uses the pronouns "he" and "she", without always telling us who he and/or she are. We maintain that all people, regardless of sex, have both male and female aspects of psyche and it is to these aspects she is often referring. With that in mind, we'll provide you with a brief overview of some possible "he's" and "she's".
Anima:
The inner feminine side of a man.
The anima is both a personal complex and an archetypal image of woman in
the male psyche. It is an unconscious factor incarnated anew in every male
child, and is responsible for the mechanism of projection. Initially
identified with the personal mother, the anima is later experienced not
only in other women but as a pervasive influence in a man's life.
The anima is personified in dreams by
images of women ranging from prostitute and seductress to spiritual guide
(Wisdom). It is
associated with the Eros principle, hence a man's anima development is
reflected in how he relates to women. Within his own psyche, the anima
functions as his soul, influencing his ideas, attitudes and emotions.
Identification with the anima can appear as moodiness, effeminacy, and
oversensitivity.
Animus:
the inner masculine side of a woman.
Like the anima in a man, the animus is both a personal complex and an
archetypal image.
Whereas the anima in a man functions as his soul, a woman's animus is more like an unconscious mind. It manifests negatively in fixed ideas, collective opinions and unconscious, a priori assumptions that lay claim to absolute truth.
He personifies the Logos principal. Identification with the animus can cause a woman to become rigid, opinionated and argumentative. More positively, he is the inner man who acts as a bridge between the woman's ego and her own creative resources in the unconscious.
Shadow: hidden or unconscious aspects of oneself, both good and bad, which the ego has either repressed or never recognized. Before unconscious contents have been differentiated, the shadow is in effect the whole of the unconscious. It is commonly personified in dreams by persons of the same sex as the dreamer.
The shadow is composed for the most part of repressed desires and uncivilized impulses, morally inferior motives, childish fantasies and resentments, etc.--all those things about oneself one is not proud of.
The shadow is not, however, only the dark underside of the personality. It also consists of instincts, abilities and positive moral qualities that have long been buried or never been conscious.
~ Archetype ~
Irrepresentable in themselves, but their effects appear in consciousness as the archetypal images and ideas. These are collective universal patterns or motifs which come from the collective unconscious and are the basic content of religions, mythologies, legends, and fairytales. They emerge in individuals through dreams and visions.
An archetypal content expresses itself, first and foremost, in metaphors. If such a content should speak of the sun and identify with it the lion, the king, the hoard of gold guarded by the dragon, or the power that makes for the life and health of man, it is neither the one thing nor the other, but the unknown third thing that finds more or less adequate expression in all these similes, yet-to the perpetual vexation of the intellect-remains unknown and not to be fitted into a formula. [C.G. Jung - "The Psychology of the Child Archetype," CW 9i, par. 267]
On a personal level, archetypal motifs are patterns of thought or behavior that are common to humanity at all times and in all places.
"I don't fall in love much," she says. "I mean, I fall in love every five seconds with something but I don't go from boy to boy. I go from archetype to archetype." - Tori Amos - SPIN Magazine, March 1996